Zorba's Common Bond # 6 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Richard, Duke of York

Richard Plantagenet, the third Duke of York, was the great-grandson of King Edward III. The then ruling king, Henry VI, frequently had bouts of insanity. When he was thus incapacitated, the Duke, better known as Richard of York, took over the reins of the country as the Lord Protector. Richard died in battle a few weeks after he was promised that he would inherit the throne after Henry VI's death.

Answer: Iris

The 2008 film "Iris" was based on the novel named "Elegy for Iris", a memoir written by John Bayley on his relationship with author Iris Murdoch. Kate Winslet played the young Iris, while Judi Dench portrayed her in the later stage of her life. They were nominated for the Best Supporting Actress and the Best Actress awards respectively at the Oscars. Jim Broadbent who played the older John Bayley won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Answer: Niagara

The Niagara Falls are located on the border between the US state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. Extremely popular as a tourist attraction, the falls have been nicknamed the 'Honeymoon Capital of the World'. They are also a major source of hydroelectric power for the two countries.

Answer: Genesis

The Genesis probe aimed to collect particles from the solar wind, a flow of charged particles released by the sun. The spaceflight lasted for a total of 1127 days and was able to successfully return to Earth with the particles necessary for the analysis, though a technical design flaw caused the craft to crash land at Utah, USA, resulting in the contamination of some of the particles.

Answer: Floods

All of the locations witnessed heavy flooding in the years mentioned leading to huge loss of lives. Till the 21st century, the top five deadliest floods in terms of loss of lives all occurred in China, with the flooding of the Huang He or the Yellow River being one of the major factors.

Answer: South Africa

The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th edition of the games and took place between June - July 2010. South Africa won the bid to host the games and became the first African country to host the FIFA World Cup finals. Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0 to emerge as the winners.

Vuvuzelas are one-note horns that were originally made from the horns of the kudu, a species of antelope. The horns were the source of controversy as the loud noise is capable of causing permanent hearing loss at close ranges. Some players also complained that the noise was distracting on the field.

Answer: Mariah Carey

"American Idol" first started airing in 2002 with the initial judges' panel comprising of Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. Randy Jackson was the only one among the three to continue with the show for all the first twelve seasons, with Paula Abdul quitting in 2009 and Simon Cowell following suit the next year.

In July 2012, it was announced that Mariah Carey would join the show as a judge for the twelfth season. Later announcements in September stated that she would be joined by Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban, along with Randy Jackson.

Answer: Greenpeace

Greenpeace was founded in 1971 in Vancouver, Canada. With representatives in over forty countries, the organisation is coordinated by a body located in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Famous campaigns include anti-whaling protests and 'Go Beyond Oil', an attempt to promote renewable sources of energy, among others.

Answer: Leprechaun

Leprechauns are also known as 'leithbragan', where 'leith' means half and 'bragan' is a term used for a brogue-like type of shoe. Often depicted in the form of an old man, the leprechaun is regarded as a solitary creature who spends his time making shoes.

Answer: Rainbow

All of the answers are in some way connected to rainbows.

1. 'Richard of York gave battle in vain' is a common mnemonic used to remember the correct order of the colours of the rainbow.
2. Iris is associated with rainbows in Greek mythology.
3. The Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls connects the United States to Canada. Rainbows are also formed in mist and are thus, commonly seen around waterfalls.
4 & 5. The Book of Genesis in the Bible recounts the story of Noah who along with his family was saved by God when the earth was flooded for 40 days and nights. At the end of the floods, God gave Noah the rainbow as a sign of his covenant never to destroy the world through floods again.
6. South Africa was termed as the 'Rainbow Nation' by Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Tutu used the term as a metaphor to describe the hope for the future of the country after the apartheid regime collapsed.
7. "Rainbow" is the title of the seventh studio album released by Mariah Carey in 1999. Tracks from the album include "Heartbreaker", "Crybaby" and a cover of Phil Collins' "Against All Odds" which also featured the Irish boy band "Westlife".
8. The 'Rainbow Warrior' was the flagship of the Greenpeace fleet used to protest nuclear tests being carried out by France at the Moruroa Atoll near New Zealand.
9. According to Irish mythology, following a leprechaun will lead you to a pot of gold hidden at the end of the rainbow.